


the warmth of snow

by marxsoul



Category: Puyo Puyo (Video Games)
Genre: Fluff, Snow, Story within a Story, she/her Strange Klug, they/them Sig
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-11
Updated: 2021-03-11
Packaged: 2021-03-18 01:08:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,863
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29975091
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/marxsoul/pseuds/marxsoul
Summary: A young 'demon' sets out to make ends meet. Things end differently than expected.
Relationships: Klug & Sig (Puyo Puyo), Sig & Strange Klug (Puyo Puyo)
Comments: 1
Kudos: 7





	the warmth of snow

As the teacher strolled through Primp town during the night, with the sky illuminated by snowfall, she pondered, "I wonder if Sig is doing well? It was quite the workload we gave them..."

A few moments later, she continued, wearing a concerned expression, "What if the cold got to them, and now they are lying unconscious somewhere in the snow?"

"I meowpt it! Though... Gotta admit, I did consider the pawssibility...", Her puppet Popoi retorted.

The streetlamps were all that illuminated the night sky, not a single match light in sight.

* * *

A dark mage in-the-making and his dubiously spirited book briskly sprinted through the wintery woods together, striking their own conversation.

“Honestly, you only thought to renew them at this hour...? _In this weather_?", the spirit inquired, with snark.

The mage, Klug, retorted, “Yes, I _did!_ You know how busy I get amidst my studies...! At least it’s not--”

Before he knew it, with the snow making it hard to keep footing, Klug almost tripped over something--

"Ugyaaah--!! _Balance, balance...!_ Alright, that was close--"

_Not something, someone...?_

Having regained his footing, he stood back to see just what was blocking the road, it was...

"... S-Sig?!"

There the usually spaced-out boy was, covered in a thin layer of snow, unmoving. There was a basket and empty matchboxes sprawled besides them. Their face was obscured, but they were gripping a small stick within their claws... A burnt match?

Before Klug could do anything else, he felt his own vision go hazy. His consciousness was shifting as a cloud of magenta smoke enveloped him. The very spirit in his book was, once more, taking hold of his body. 

**"...!"**

The demonic spirit, Aya, had switched in with a mortified expression stitched to her face. Brushing the snow away from Sig as briskly as she could, his expression was forlorn, a small frown and furrowed eyebrows, what agony... Without a moment of hesitation, she took him into her arms, doubling back to Klug's place.

* * *

  
  


_"My dearest friend, here, here!", the girl cheered, bestowing her sharply-horned friend a gift._

_The demon retorted, "I'm busy reading... Mm?"_

_"Let me just... There! It looks great on you!" On the demon's head, she had placed a wonderful flower crown, made of Forget-me-nots and daffodil flowers._

_"Hmph... Flowers heralding memories to be kept, as well as new beginnings. How high are your hopes for me, child of Sun?", The demon replied, a bit of snark in their tone. They meant to come off as playful, but they always spoke rather sternly._

_"Pretty hiiigh~! You told me you wanted to get along with people, right? Someday soon, I want to help you do it. A fresh start for my best friend!", the girl replied, sitting besides her tall friend, who loomed over her, even as they slouched._

_It was kind of odd, the way she seemed more comfortable in their shadow, as the sun shined harshly that day._

_“Ah... You, remembered that...?”, They muttered meekly._

_"There’s a festival to commence in a fortnight, yes? That would be the perfect opportunity!", she exclaimed, pumping her fist into the air._

_It was then the demon hesitated, wearing a concerned expression, " How sudden... You're sure I'll be warmly received...?"_

_That girl continued, looking up at the demon, her eyes alight, "Yes, yes! Everyone trusts me, after all.They know I'm a good judge of character! You're a good person, and everyone deserves to know, so..._

_Trust me, okay? Soon, no one will bother you ever again!"_

* * *

They feel their consciousness coming back to them, they feel the warmth of a blanket draped over them... Slowly opening their eyes, it is indeed a blanket draped over them. Light purple, with star patterns on it. They were dragged to Klug's place, somehow. Right onto his couch, it was surprisingly cozy.

"Jeez, you're finally awake! What were you even doing out in the cold, when it's so late!?", Klug harshly greets Sig.

Sig replies in their usual nonchalant manner, "Selling matches. Couldn't head home till they were all gone."

"Judging by how every single of those matchboxes were empty when I found you, I'd say they're definitely all gone..." Klug sighed, gesturing to the basket Sig was found with. Every single matchbox was present, all empty.

"... You picked all those back up?" Sig's eyes widened a bit.

Klug was caught a bit off guard, but replied, "What? Of course I did. I cannot stand for littering, no matter the context."

"What about the matches? All the itsy bitsy matches?", they continue, a bit of a joking grin on their face.

"... Ugh. Listen, I didn't want you to freeze out there, but according to your words, every match you needed to 'sell' is gone, so you can just... Head home whenever you want.", Klug sighs.

"Oh... Thanks. Might head out so-- _Achoo!_... soon." Sig answered, sneezing mid-sentence.

Klug hands them a tissue, and brings a small trash bin closer to the sofa. "Well. If you have at least a bit of common sense left, consider staying the night. You'll just get sick and pass out again trying to make your way home, even if you did have a lantern this time. It's gotten quite bad." 

A look outside the window proves Klug's words to be true. The snow came down so fiercely, you could barely make anything out of it, just specks of white against a black background, and slivers of glowing from nearby streetlamps.

"... Help yourself to the hand sanitizer if you don't feel like getting up and washing your hands. Ask for more blankets or pillows if you need them. I'll make us some hot chocolate to get through the night, the house's insulation isn't the best." Klug says, matter of factly.

"That's a lot... Why all this for me?", Sig asks, tilting their head to the side.

"You were freezing out there, weren't you? Anyone would do the same. I tried to assist as much as I could, but there's only so much one person can do." Klug continues, in a rather quiet voice, just a tinge of melancholy in his last sentence.

"... Alrighty. Thanks for the help, bookworm." Sig smiled a small, warm grin at him, getting up to head to the bathroom.

Klug sighed, heading to the kitchen, mumbling some unheard words under his breath.

When Sig gets back, finding their spot back on the couch, Klug's seen sitting on the other end, reading a book, with a cup of hot cocoa in his other hand, and a stack of books on the small cabinet beside him. On the coffee table was another cup, presumably for them.

"... For me?", Sig asks.

"Help yourself.", Klug replies.

And so they did, taking the cup into their hands, slow sips per the usual. The sweetness wasn’t so overwhelming, but Sig was never one who enjoyed sugary stuff much, so it was enough to wake him up a bit.

The two remained silent, the first time neither of them said much of anything since Sig was dragged here out of the harsh cold, into a warm home.

_Was Klug always so helpful, or caring? Well, it was probably rude to think he didn't care about anyone, he just thinks he's better than everyone. Despite that, he actually does think of others, helping people. He's always helping Amitie and Lidelle understand complex lessons, and he's basically Raffina's Puyo-sparring partner, when she isn't physically beating his face into the concrete. He's a funny guy._

_Even then, something felt different about him right now._

Sig inches closer to Klug, to his surprise, but he doesn't say anything.

They continued getting closer, until the two were basically shoulder-to-shoulder.

Klug hesitates to speak, "Er... Is there something you want?"

"Nah. What're you reading?", Sig leans over to gloss over whatever wordy textbook he has his hands on this time...

_A picture book...?_

"Nothing special."

"Tell me about it anyways."

"It's a story about a demon and the son of a blacksmith, forming a strong bond, despite the circumstance."

"Nothing educational, this time?"

"It's important to broaden your palate, even with cliche children's storybooks. It's one of those nights."

"Read it to me?"

"Hm...? Uh, alright..." 

Klug didn't expect Sig to have any interest whatsoever, but who was he to refuse? He turned back to the first page.

* * *

  
  


Heart of Steel. 

A nameless demon from a poor family is exiled from the Netherworld for their family's crimes. Even if they didn't do anything wrong, their whole family was punished, all exiled to different parts of the Human's Realm. 

The nameless demon, they were quite young, and they had very little knowledge of what to do in the Human's Realm. They quickly get captured, purely on account of their garrish horns, tails, and claws. 

Locked away in the dungeon cell for a few weeks, the demon does nothing but sit there, sadly. The dungeon-keepers, they do not even feed the demon! One day, right after the dungeon-keepers take their last roundabout for the day... The demon is found by a boy their age, who secretly unlocks their cell, and allows them to roam freely once more. 

Despite the demon's silent escape, word is soon spread for their recapture, and a hefty bounty placed on their head. Having escaped to the depths of the woods, still unsure of what to do, with knights in pursuit, the boy who freed them shows face once more. 

"Come, live with me! I can keep you safe!", The boy exclaims.

The demon replies, fear in their voice, "You, again... Why would you help me when I haven't done anything for you...? What if I get caught, and you get punished for treason...?"

"I'll tell you why if you come with me, so will you, or will you not?! They're on their way here right now!" The boy continues, extending their hand to the demon.

Leaving behind their hesitance, the demon finally accepts the boy's help, taking his hand into their own, and together they escape to the boy's home.

Much to the demon's surprise, the boy lives alone, and has many things for metallurgy lying about. He locks the door with a unique key he made himself.

"I'm the grandson of the blacksmith for the town! He died a while ago, but he passed all his knowledge down to me before he passed on." the boy explained, "That's why I was able to break you out of that dungeon cell, if you wanted to know!"

"But... Why did you do it? You don't know what kind of demon I am..." The demon asked, feeling undeserving of being rescued.

"The knights asked me to make demon-slaying swords, all of a sudden. I grew suspicious, and used a secret entryway to see if there was anything new in the demon cells... Lo and behold, you were there! So I decided to spy on you, see what kind of demon you were.", the boy explained.

He continued speaking, in a more sympathetic voice, "But... You didn't seem like the kind of demon who was ravenous and ate people, even if you look really strong. You sat there, sadly... Sometimes, you even cried! You even look my age... I felt like you didn't deserve to be locked up... So I busted you out!" 

"... Demons are born of evil, boy. What if that was a trick, and I _do_ eat people... _What if I ate you?_ ", the demon growled menacingly, trying to see if the boy _really_ trusted them.

Staring the demon in the eyes, the boy soon grinned, "Even if you say that, I don't think you have the heart for it! You may be powerful, and your horns and claws may be pointy, and your eyes are really sharp... But I see a lot of kindness and innocence in those eyes, too. Also, don't just call me 'boy'! I have a name, you know!", he giggled.

The boy extended his hand to the demon once more, "I want to be your friend, I'm--"

Before anything else, there's suddenly someone banging on the boy's door.

"Grandson of the Blacksmith, we know you have the demon in there! Let us recapture the demon, or you will be exiled for treason!", the knight boomed.

"Exiled... For treason...?! You have to let me go! You don't deserve to be punished because of me...!", the demon pleaded to the boy. The nameless demon would never wish their suffering on another, especially someone who didn't do anything wrong.

"No, I won't.", the boy said defiantly.

The demon cried out, "Why?!"

The boy boomed, "We're leaving this dastard kingdom together!!"

The boy quickly packed some old-looking books into his sturdy satchel, and took the demon by the hand, making their way to a secret passageway hidden in his basement. 

Welding both the basement door and the passageway doors shut as the two escaped, they ran, and ran, even as the knights long lost track of their whereabouts.

Reaching the exit, they find themselves in a faraway forest, with a clearing where they can see the sun setting. The two sit down on the grass, watching the sun setting into the ocean, together.

"My grandpa told me one important thing, before he left... I should only use my power for good, and not evil. To fight for what I think is right. The minute they locked you away, I had no more reason to make them anything.", the boy said, looking the demon in the eyes.

"You were so quick to throw it all away, just for me... You're braver than I ever could be..." The demon said, a tear trickled down their face. "Thank you... I swear to do everything I can to protect you..."

"There's no need for that, we can both protect each other! Blacksmith, remember?", the boy said, matter-of-factly. "From now on, it'll be an exciting life for us both! I never lived beyond the kingdom, until now... We both have a lot to discover and learn together!" 

And so, the nameless demon and the boy would go on to new lands, learning a lot about the world and each other, and every day would be sure to bring all kinds of excitement, the likes of which neither had ever seen... This is the story of a righteous demon, and the son of a legendary blacksmith.

"Oh yeah, my gramps also told me he had a hidden shack around here, we can stay there for a bit once we find it!"

The End.

* * *

  
  
  


"That's the end of the first book... I told you it was pretty cliche.", Klug remarked. 

Sig feels a bit enamoured, even as he grew sleepy over the course of the story, "I liked it... It was cute."

_Klug noticed the time on a clock. A solid hour had passed. It would have taken a mere 10 minutes, had he kept to himself, but he was too tired to really mind it, himself. Carrying a person in your arms through a snowstorm does that to you._

"Well, it's getting late. I'll show you to the guest room. If you would follow me--" Klug was about to get up,

But Sig leaned more into his shoulder, "... I like it better here."

"I... Sig, are you alright? Did the snow make you delirious?", Klug asked.

" _Hey. I know you aren't that bookworm. Knew this whole time_." Sig stated, plain as day.

The 'Klug' who was Aya this whole time, asked,"... How did you know...?"

_Right from the minute she saved him, all the way to now, her Klug act was convincing, if you were someone who didn't pay attention to small details. Noticing when someone who doesn't usually care for cleaning, claims to prioritize it... Her calm way of speaking, even if she tried to be as haughty as Klug... Sig clearly picked up on these things early on, despite knowing so little about Aya. He's not so clueless, after all. Klug and Aya, those two were pretty opposite most of the time. The storybook plastered the message in broad daylight. Klug was hardly a romantic._

Sig continued, "...Dunno. Intuition. Hit it on the nail though, didn't I?"

_Aya’s own thoughts began to stir. Intuition... Was that really all it was? He barely knew her, she figured she knew more about him, if anything. A lot changes when you've been stuck inside of a magical sealing tome for who knows how long. That other half you once knew was nothing like they used to be. Or were they...? Were they keen, or was it her, who was just unfamiliar with human mannerisms in recent times? Things could've gone worse, she should be thankful._

_Thankful he didn’t run the minute he realized it was her._

_...Was she overthinking this? One way, or another, she clearly underestimated him. An apology was in order--_

"Well, goodnight. Tell me your name, sometime", Sig mumbled, leaning into her more and falling asleep. 

Well. She was stuck there, and really didn't feel like expending more magic to carry him to the guest room, so... She just slept there, too.

Somewhere, there was a purple spirit in a red book, grumbling about something or other.

**Author's Note:**

> first of all, this was largely inspired by the official Puyo Puyo Drama CD story, 'Matchseller Sig', which you can watch yourself here, on youtube: /watch?v=YCACLQxOWH4 , the first bit of the fic takes dialogue directly from it, a bit modified, but more or less the same.
> 
> second of all...
> 
> hiiii so you haven't seen me in awhile, thats because im gonna be abandoning AO3 in favor of just posting to my writing tumblr blog... catch that at @acid-hydrangea, any current fics on this account will probably be reuploaded and continued there in the soon future, there's some pretty ambitious ones, like... well, go check and see! something i'm excited to write that puyo fever lorenut fans might enjoy. maybe? im having a blast with it!
> 
> in the meantime, and as an AO3 sendoff, which was quite overdue, heres a little fluff fic for you. i dont write enough cheesy stuff and i do love these characters mch so, so that's why i wrote this. it's not inherently romantic, but you're free to see it as such if you wish. i hope you enjoyed!
> 
> (it's possible i might upload small blurbs of future fics to ao3 simply to garner attention, but even then i'll only put previews up here, all the juicy stuff goes on that tumblr blog... or my twitter art blog, where i post both art and writing, @miryxdraws. check it. my art's better than my writing <3)
> 
> see ya on the flipside!


End file.
